Locomotive stoker



www

May 5? w36 H. E. s lPPEm LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Original Filed Aug. 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mw 5, 1936.. H. E. LIPPERT LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Original Filed Aug. 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 QN NN K QM,

|||| i, vw

Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES LOCOMOTIVE 'STOKER Henry E. Lippert, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor, v'by mesne assignments,

to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, -a .corporation fof Dela- Waffe Application August 28, 1930, LSerial No. 478,387 Renewed November 3, 1934 3 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanical suckers for locomotives of the type that transfers the coal from the tender to an opening in the backhea-:l of the locomotive, above the vlevel of the re bed,

and scatters it over the re bed by fluid blasts.

An object of the invention is to transfer the fuel from the tender to the opening in the backhead without unnecessarily breaking the coal, particularly during the operation of elevating the coal on the locomotive. It is well known that the most economical method of moving coal through a horizontal conduit is with the use of a conveyor screw. But in using a conveyor screw to `transfer coal through an inclined or vertical conduit the lumps of coal are broken and a relatively large percentage oi the coal is reduced to a powdered form. By using a belt as an elevator, abrasion of the coal is `eliminated and more economical firing is obtained.

Some of the objects of the invention are to improve several details of construction so as to make this typ-e of Stoker practical.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of a locomotive, a tender, and the invention, showing the invention as applied thereon.

Fig. 2 is a detail View of the belt elevator.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 or" Fig. 5, and illustrates the relation between the forward end of the belt elevator and the discharging luid blasts.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view of a portion of the locomotive, the tender and the stoker.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 5 6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. l.

In Fig, 1 the numeral I designates the locomotive; 2, the tender; and 3, the complete stoker. The stoker 3 comprises two main units; namely, the substantially horizontal transfer conduit, which consists oi the trough 4 and the intermediate member 5, and the elevating mechanism on the locomotive.

The trough 4 is arranged in the compartment E beneath the fuel bunker 1, and receives coal downwardly from the bunker through an opening B in the tender deck 9. The trough is rigidly secured to the underside of the tender deck by rivets I0. A plurality of slide plates II can be moved longitudinally of the trough to vary the location of the opening 8 as the fuel bunker is gradually emptied. A screw I2 moves the coal through the trough 4 and forces it against a Crusher I3, to reduce the large lumps to a size suitable for firing. The conveyor screw I2 is driven at its rear end through gearing I4 by the stoker driving yengine I5. The engine I5 is mounted at the forward end of the vtender beneath `the tender deck. A shaft i6 extends rearward from the engine for connecting the engine with the gearing 14.

Rigidly 'mounted in the locomotive is an inclined Stoker-casing I1. The casing I1 slopes forward and upward through the deck iti oi the locomotive and is in communication at its forward end with the 'lower portion of the firing opening I9, in the 'backhead 20. A iredoor 2| closes the remainder -oi the opening above the casing I1. The casing I1 is securely fixed, to the backhead by bolts, studs or rivets 'through the outwardly extending flanges 22 at each side of the for-.yard end of the casing. The casing I1 is supported at its rear end, on the frame 23 of the locomotive, by a plate 24. The plate 24 is of suicient exibility yto allow the casing to move rearward and forward as the backhead expands and contracts due to the varying temperature in the nreboX 25.

'Ihe casing I1 is open at its rear end and pro vided a tubular portion 26 for receiving and supporting the forward end of the intermediate member :5. VVThe intermediate member 5 makes communication between the trough 4 and the casing I1. It is ilexibly attached to the trough at its rear end'by the 'ball and socket connection 21. As the locomotive and tender negotiate Curves the intermediate member telescopes in the tubular portion 26 of the casing. A conveyor screw rsection 28 transfers the fuel from the trough 4, through the intermediate member to the casing I1. It is driven at its rear end through the universal joint 29 by the conveyorv Screw I2.. The intermediate -member 5 is preferably tapered, the largest end being at the rear, and the screw section 28 also tapered to conform with the taper of the intermediate member. By this construction coal is readily removed from the universal joint between the screw conveyors, thus `preventing any packing of the coal at the universal joint.

Adjacent the ends o'f casing vI1 are the shafts 29 `and 30 for carrying .the endless belt elevator 3I. A bevel gear 32 is keyed on the shaft 29 and in mesh with the bevel pinion 33 on the stub shaft 34. A telescopic drive shaft 35 is univer- Sally jointed `to the crank shaft of the engine i5 and the stub shaft 34. Also keyed to the shaft 29 is the hub member 36 upon which is formed a sprocket wheel 31 at one end and a sprocket wheel 38 at the vother end. The sprocket wheels 31 and 38 engage the openings 39, at the edges of the belt elevator 3|, for driving the belt elevator. The shaft 29 rotates in bearings 40 and 4I vin the lcasing I1. A secondhub member 42 is rotatably mounted onv the upper shaft 30. The shaft 30 is supported in the bosses 43 and 44 in the casing I1 and is held rigid with the casing by the pin 45 extending through the shaft and the boss 43. Sprocket wheels 46 and 41 on the hub member 32 engage the openings 39 and support the belt elevator at its upper end. The sprocket wheels may be formed integral with the hub members or mounted separately upon the shafts 29 and 3E).

It is preferable that the width of the belt elevator 3l be substantially the same as the width of the inside of the casing I1 and that the belt elevator be not less in width than the width of the tubular portion 2B. By making the belt elevator wider than the tubular portion 2S the large bulk of coal will be conveyed on the center part of the elevator, and by allowing a very small space between the edges of the belt and the inside of the casing coal cannot fall off the sides of the belt during the elevating. The elevator` is formed by linking together a plurality of overlapping strips 48. The strips 48 are transverse of the casing and made of any desirable and durable material. The edges of the elevator may be integral with these strips, as shown, or be made separate, as a chain, and secured to the strips. I-Ieretofore a plurality of separate drag chains have been placed side by side and employed as a conveyor. In such a construction abrasion of the coal occurs between the chains. By constructing the elevator in one complete unit by linking together overlapping strips, such action of the coal cannot occur. In order that the coal will lay on the belt during the elevating it is positioned at an angle less than 45 degrees with the horizontal and a plurality of transverse abutments 49 are spaced along the elevator to prevent any coal from sliding backward Positioned at the forward end of the casing I1, in the ring opening I9, below and slightly behind the forward end of the belt elevator 3l which in effect constitutes a fuel supporting floor is a chambered member or jet casting 59a arranged to discharge a broad transverse series of fluid blasts from the jet openings 50 for discharging coal over the re bed as it falls from the elevator into the path of the blasts. The fluid blast openings disposed in the transverse upstanding wall 58h of the jet casting 55a are in communication with cored chambers 54 and 55, and pipe lines 5S and 51, which lead to a source of fluid pressure (not shown) are in communication with the said chambers. Inserted in the pipe lines 55 and 51 are suitable valves (not shown) for regulating and varying the pressures in the chambers 54 and 55. A distributor plate 5I, over which the fuel is discharged is secured by studs 52 to the casing I1. Curved ribs 53, on the plate 5|, deflect a portion of the discharged coal to the rear corners of the iirebox.

In operation, the conveyor screw I2 moves the coal through the trough 4, as it falls into the trough through the opening 8 from the bunker 1. The conveyor screw I 2 forces the coal against the Crusher I3 to reduce the large lumps to a size that is most suitable for nring. The screw section 28, driven by the conveyor screw I2, transfers the coal from the trough 4, through the intermediate member 5, and discharges it onto the belt 3l. The belt 3l is driven through gearing 58 by the flexible shaft 35 extending forward from the engine I5. The coal lying on the belt is elevated to a point where it falls onto a distributor plate 5I, in the path of the fluid blasts discharging from the openings 50, which blasts discharge the coal over the re bed of the locomotive.

I claim:

l. In combination, a furnace having an upright wall with an opening therein, a four sided fuel feed casing external of said furnace having its discharge end in communication with said opening, an endless conveyor mounted in said casing to advance fuel therethrough toward said opening, and a chambered member having an upstanding wall facing the furnace provided with a plurality of jet openings adapted to discharge pressure fluid toward the furnace, said member being disposed adjacent the discharge end of the casing beneath the delivery end of the endless conveyor, the said upstanding wall of said member located rearward of the delivery end of the endless conveyor and extending across the discharge end of the casing for substantially the width thereof.

2. In combination, a furnace having an upright wall with a firing opening therein, conveying means external of said furnace delivering fuel to said firing opening, a chambered member at said ring opening apertured to discharge pressure fluid blasts into the furnace, and a distributing plate at said firing opening extending forwardly from said cliambered member beneath said pressure fluid biasts, said conveying means including a fuel supporting surface, the discharge portion thereof extending over and forward of said chambered member and terminating forward of and in a level above the points of discharge of said pressure fluid blasts and rearward of and spaced above the forward end of said distributing plate so that all the fuel delivered by said conveying means will fall downwardly through the space between the discharge portion of said fuel supporting surface and said distributing plate in an unsupported stream, said pressure fluid blasts sweeping over said distributing plate and cutting through the falling fuel for substantially the width of the fuel stream.

3. In combination, a furnace having an upright wall with a firing opening therein, conveying means external of said furnace delivering fuel to said firing opening, a chambered member at said firing opening having a transverse upstanding wall facing the furnace provided with a plurality of jet openings adapted to discharge pressure fluid blasts into the furnace, and a distributing plate in said firing opening extending forwardly from said upstanding wall below the blasts discharged from the jet openings, said conveying means including a fuel supporting surface, the discharge portion thereof extending over and forward of said chambered member and terminating forward of and in a level above sald upstanding wall thereof and rearward of the forward end of said distributing plate so that all the fuel delivered by said conveying means will fall downwardly through space in and unsupported stream from the discharge portion of said fuel supporting surface onto said distributing plate, said upstanding wall extending across the delivery end of the conveying means for substantially the width of said fuel supporting oor, and said jet openings in said upstanding wall arranged with a plurality thereof disposed at each side of the Vertical medial plane of the rebox ring opening.

HENRY E. LIPPERT. 

